Global Film Emperor

Chapter 430 Six Golden Film Emperors Combined
"We are destined to become fuel, like a match, ignited by phosphorescence, burning fully until the fuel is exhausted and we turn to ashes. This is our destiny, a destiny that no one can escape."

"Faced with fate, we can only accept it and strive to make this city more magnificent, technology more advanced, and the economy more prosperous. This is the duty of all citizens living in this city, a duty that no one can refute."

"What we care about is not how much we contribute to this city or how much we get in return, but that someone asks us once, even just once."

"Are you willing to become fuel?"

……

On the screen, clips of Parker's life were playing, accompanied by Lu Ze's deep voice, causing a sensation in the audience. Applause was continuous. The camera focused on Lu Ze's face, where he smiled and turned to wave to the audience in the back row.

This line from the movie is classic and resonates with countless people who toil in the concrete jungle. They work hard in various positions, and in the blink of an eye, many years have passed. The city is more prosperous than before. While the contributors, especially manual laborers, feel proud, they also find that the space for them to live in the city has become increasingly narrow.

In just a few months, this line has been hailed as a classic by movie fans. In the last issue of the film magazine, this line ranked sixty-ninth among the 100 most classic lines of the 21st century.

The presenters on stage also applauded, joining the audience. After a dozen seconds, the applause stopped, and the presenters nodded to the audience before continuing to announce the nomination list.

John Morris, The Touch of the Heart: I know what you're thinking. Right now, your heart is filled with lust, the most primal desires. And the next moment, you begin to fear me, which can be seen from your expression. But behind the fear is a greater thirst for knowledge. You want to know what else I can see. I can see all of you. You are a radiant being that has blocked my vision. I can only see you, a complete you, just as you can only see me right now.

Mr. Morris is a handsome blond man. Unlike the image of a scumbag on screen who wears round-framed sunglasses, is unruly, and uses his abilities to seduce girls who want to explore the unknown, he stood up to accept the applause, his smile somewhat shy, and bowed to all directions.

"Newstin Landry, The Perfect Diary: I am a traveler. I have seen the Parisian sunset, listened to the waves of the Aegean Sea, been rained on in London, and walked through the bustling Times Square. I have seen too much beauty of prosperity and nature, and I look forward to the next stop where I can find the perfect fusion of the two. Now I have found it, and I hope to stay here. You are the combination of all that is beautiful, but I am destined to leave because I am still a traveler, not an owner."

“Evans Lambert, Jealousy: I hope that after smoking the last cigarette, it will be dawn, and the last sip of whiskey will be hidden in my bosom. It is a balm for my wounds, a pillow to help me fall asleep, a weapon for self-defense, like a magical knot. When it is placed on the ground, I feel like I have a home.”

The other three nominated works have been announced. Apart from Perfect Diary, which was a dark horse, the nomination of the other two films was not unexpected for Lu Ze.

The camera kept panning between the four people. Apart from Lu Ze, the other three had an undisguised tension on their faces, while Lu Ze remained calm, whispering to Fatini and Mickey beside him, with a smile always on his face.

This made the three of them somewhat resentful when they looked at Lu Ze. Indeed, Lu Ze was acting too calmly, as if he had everything under control and was not worried about where the award would go at all.

This gave them the illusion that Lu Ze didn't take them seriously. It wasn't until the awards were officially announced that they realized their thoughts weren't just a misconception.

"The winner of the 80th Volpi Cup Best Actor Award is... Lu~Ze!"

The award presenter was a bit mischievous. When he said Lu Ze's name, he used a drawn-out tone, similar to a boxing commentator. The golden lights in the theater began to flash continuously, and the presenter's finger circled around the room, eventually pointing to Lu Ze alone.

This was the answer Lu Ze had been hoping for, and it was the most correct answer. His sixth Best Actor award was once again in his pocket. He remained calm, as if excitement had long been a thing of the past. He was used to the glory that had been showering him with honor time and time again. With a slight smile on his lips, he stood up, tightened his suit, hugged Fatini and Mickey, and shook hands with other big names in the film industry around him, humbly thanking them for their congratulations.

A six-time Golden Horse Award winner, he has once again made history.

……

At this moment, the domestic live streaming websites were filled with "666" scrolling by. Countless people were staying up late to watch the live broadcast, complaining about the effeminate Italian translator the website had found, yet having no choice but to listen to the annoying translator's commentary. When the awards were finally announced, there was no need for translation; the camera focusing on Lu Ze said it all. Those who were going to get excited were bound to get excited.

"It's ridiculous that Lu Ze always wins awards every time he makes a fool of himself at a film festival."

"2333... Thinking about it, it really is true."

"If you do the math, six Best Actor awards—it seems like no actor in China has won six awards at any of the major film festivals, right? Especially since he's won two at each of the three major European film festivals, with Berlin being the hardest to win. Isn't Cannes a sure thing next?"

"Not necessarily. After all, the three major film festivals have different styles. Cannes is the most commercialized. Given Mickey's niche status, it's probably difficult."

"Can you shut your dog mouth upstairs?"

"I am your father."

"Bounce back."

……

Compared to the explosive trending topics on domestic social media late at night, this award quickly became a headline, with netizens praising it as well-deserved. International comments were equally enthusiastic, with many predicting who would win Best Actor even before the nominations were announced. There was absolutely no objection to the award ultimately going to Lu Ze.

Not only in terms of film ratings, "Rebirth" became the highest-rated film of the year, but also in terms of film content and actors' performances, there was nothing to criticize. Although many people do not want Lu Ze to win the Volpi Award, if Lu Ze really loses, rumors of protests against the behind-the-scenes manipulation will definitely spread.

Regardless, Lu Ze was destined to take the trophy home and display it in his showcase, making it his latest exhibit. Amidst the applause of everyone, he calmly walked onto the stage.

His gaze swept across the faces of the other three competitors. Apart from Landry, the other two showed no expression and were not at all disappointed. After all, they had already prepared themselves to fight against an invincible monster.

Landry, on the other hand, seemed somewhat dejected. After all, he was only twenty-two years old, and it was normal for him to lose his composure. But even so, he didn't show much jealousy in his eyes because he accepted his defeat wholeheartedly.

As the golden beam of light shone upon him, holding the gleaming trophy in his hand, it would be a lie to say he felt no emotion. He shook hands with the presenter, and after the presenter turned and left the stage, he stood before the microphone, gently placed the trophy on the table, leaned forward slightly, and, as if sighing, said, "Thank you."

Applause and cheers rang out again. The sense of glory at this moment could make a young man feel inflated, but for Lu Ze, such a scene was already commonplace. He was not so excited that his hands and feet trembled, nor did he feel nervous. He didn't even prepare a speech. He could only rack his brains on the stage and finally came up with a speech that he didn't know if it was appropriate.

"Someone once asked me why I made 'Rebirth,' just like I once asked Mickey why he made 'Rebirth.' Perhaps our understanding of society isn't deep enough to offer valuable insights, after all, we're not the masters of society, just ordinary participants." "But I hope the world can become a better place, but what constitutes 'good'? What kind of 'good' would everyone praise? This is an unsolvable question. Everyone's perspective is different, and their needs for society are different. For the wealthy, perhaps their ideal is a soaring stock price and a surge in personal wealth, while for some, a good life might simply mean eating a sweet cake every day. The contradictions are irreconcilable; class conflict is inevitable. Including myself, we belong to the class that is viewed with hostility, but I will still pray for those who are hostile towards me. May the world of 'Rebirth' never come to pass. Thank you."

Amid applause, Lu Ze walked off the stage with the trophy in hand. He could only nod in response to the congratulations from others. His speech was somewhat sharp, but others naturally applauded his acceptance speech in this setting. Perhaps many people would secretly mock Lu Ze's overestimation of his abilities, but his remarks won the hearts of many movie fans.

Lu Ze had no telepathy to guess what others were thinking. He returned to his seat and sat down quietly. He watched as the two people snatched the trophy and admired it, but he didn't care. He lowered his head and quietly played with his phone, replying to the still-warm congratulatory text messages, until the next award, the Jury Grand Prize, arrived.

……

"The film that won the Silver Lion at the 80th Venice International Film Festival is... Mickey Taylor! 'Afterlife'!"

"Wang Defa?! What the hell?!"

On stage, the jury representative announced the winners of the Silver Lion Award. The names of the winners were etched in the minds of all the audience members watching the film festival, and it's unknown how much of a stir they felt.

Upset!

Another upset!

This time, it wasn't a dark horse that won the award, but rather the top performer who won a lower prize! Not to mention the others, even Mickey himself was full of question marks, with a "Are you kidding me?" expression. He was caught on camera, looking at the jury representatives on stage, and Mickey felt like he had eaten sashimi made from excrement and then dipped it in wasabi and soy sauce.

Logically speaking, Mickey should have won either the Best Director or Best Film award, which is the Golden Lion. He would have been satisfied with either award. But now he's been fooled by the jury's decision to give him the Silver Lion. Why? The next second, Mickey mentally reviewed the members of the jury, and his face immediately darkened.

Everyone thinks it's been unfairly criticized. An upset is no longer appropriate in this situation; the only possibility is that it's been unfairly criticized. If you say that "Butterfly Girl" can be compared to "Rebirth," everyone will think you're joking.

"Calm down, I'll ask around for you after this is over."

At this moment, Fatini could only try to calm Mickey down to avoid embarrassing everyone. Perhaps the biggest oversight of the jury was that they were unaware of Gambiano Pictures' investment in Universal Brothers; otherwise, they would never have done so.

"Let's go collect the award first, and talk about it after this is over."

Lu Ze was also comforting Mickey, lest this ungrateful wretch act up again. Fatini's advice might not work, but Mickey could still listen to Lu Ze. With a cold face, he got up and walked onto the stage, shook hands with the jury representative, took the trophy, weighed it in his hand, and approached the microphone, saying, "Wow, my second award in Venice, I'm very happy, thank you."

Without any further remarks, he stepped off the stage, leaving the jury representatives standing there. The room fell silent for two seconds before the ticketed audience members above began to applaud enthusiastically, using their small gesture to prove who truly deserved the title of King of the 80th Venice Film Festival.

Ultimately, the Best Director award went to Dylan Dehmara for "Touch of the Heart," while the Best Picture award went to Dillon Bunken for "Broken House."

This may be the biggest scandal at the Venice Film Festival in the last two decades, targeting an extremist, troublemaker, and scoundrel in the directing world, Mickey Taylor.

Soon, trending topics on various social media platforms began to discuss whether it was reasonable for "Rebirth" to only receive the Jury Prize. In the poll, 83% of netizens said that "Rebirth" was definitely under-received and should at least have received a Best Director award. At least before Lu Ze and his team left the venue, the voting results were like this.

Of course, many more people are hearing the name "Rebirth" for the first time and know nothing about the film, but many of them have one advantage: they always like to follow trends.

Oh? A really great film encountered some kind of shady dealings? Or was it a shady deal at the Venice Film Festival? Everyone's saying this movie is amazing? Then it must be amazing, let's start praising it! No... I need to watch the movie first, otherwise I won't even know how to praise it properly.

This is the state of mind of a large number of netizens. They are easily swayed by a hot topic and express their opinions, whether praising or criticizing. But first, they need to understand whether it is worthy of their praise or criticism.

"The Rebirth" has already been taken down from online platforms and uploaded to the internet. On the day of the film festival alone, more than 200,000 people watched "The Rebirth". Regardless of their personal opinions on "The Rebirth", netizens have certainly brought Universal Brothers Pictures a considerable profit in this controversy.

Meanwhile, after leaving the theater, Mickey started acting crazy in the car. If Fatini hadn't promised to give Mickey an explanation, he probably would have gone on a rampage in the theater.

Putting this matter aside for the time being, Lu Ze parted ways with Mickey and Liu Ying after leaving the theater. He had arranged to have a meal with Liu Ying to reconnect, and he couldn't break his promise even after this incident.

However, during the dinner, Liu Ying seemed to notice that Lu Ze was somewhat distracted, so the dinner was abruptly ended. He told Lu Ze to take care of his own business first, and that they could have dinner together again after he returned to China. Lu Ze accepted Liu Ying's understanding and made another appointment before leaving the restaurant and returning to his hotel.

"Knock knock knock... Mickey, want to talk?"

He stood at the door of Mickey's room and gently knocked. In his mind, he was actually thinking that perhaps Mickey only won the Silver Lion Award and he won the Volpi Cup. Even if the possibility was small, it was still possible.

"Wait a mininute."

Mickey responded from inside the room. It was supposed to be a short wait, but it took a full three minutes before Mickey slowly opened the door. Lu Ze didn't think anything of it and stepped into the room before Mickey could stop him.

The next moment, Lu Ze was suddenly dumbfounded. There was another person sitting on the bed. It was a woman wearing a thin silk nightgown and black bodysuit. She sat on the edge of the bed, holding a cigarette in her hand, glancing at Lu Ze out of the corner of her eye. The noblewoman-like aura she exuded made Lu Ze instantly remember who she was.

Amy Fontaine, the embodiment of Mickey's adolescent hormones, was born in 1975, according to the encyclopedia entry Lu Ze consulted at the banquet, while Mickey was born in 1991...

"My goodness..."

Lu Ze sighed, covered his eyes, immediately turned around and fled the scene, not wanting to delay Mickey's search for maternal love any longer, and closed the door behind him.

"..."

(End of this chapter)